In the Beginning +

ECO-Option was started by founder, owner and Managing Director Leo PJ Nevels in 1994 after completing 6 years of Chemical Engineering at Delft Technical University.

Initially focussed on metal recovery from photographic, electronic and allied industries, the Company operated for many years from a site in Market Harborough and steadily grew in size.

Waste waters from all its metal recovery operations were disposed off via external contractors. Predominantly due to the ammonia present in these effluents, disposal costs increased year upon year and in 2001 the Company began work to remove and recover the ammonia from its effluents. The production of ammonium sulphate for use in liquid fertiliser had started.

As waste producers ranging from small SME’s to blue chip majors as well as other waste management companies struggled with ammonia bearing effluents, they increasingly turned to ECO-Option for assistance and the recycling of ammonia compounds expanded quickly. In order to process these rising amounts of ammonia bearing compounds, the use of spent & by-product sulphuric acid also increased quickly.

In 2007, the Market Harbobough site had become a limiting factor in the Companies development due its limited size and no room for expansion. The search for a new premises started and quickly a candidate in the form of Lostock Works in Northwich was identified. Planning permission and the first Environmental Permit were granted for an integrated metal recovery and fertiliser production plant. Construction began at the end 2009 after a momentary pause during the start of the financial crisis of 2008.

Since the re-location of its production activity to Lostock Works in 2010, the processing of ammonia and spent sulphuric acid resources dramatically increased due to a combination of factors. The sudden failure of a spent sulphuric acid recycler in Belgium lead to a significant shortage of treatment capacity for concentrated acid in the UK and Europe. In addition, availability of liquid by-product ammonium sulphate sharply reduced with the closure of the only major UK production plant.

Market Leader +

Spent acid recycling

ECO-Option has grown to become the UK’s leading spent sulphuric acid recycler with an installed treatment capacity of 20,000 tpa. Working with blue chip majors in the UK and abroad, the Company mainly produces ammonium sulphate for use in its fertliser products. Recycling of nitric and phosphoric acid as well as other waste and by-product resources that yield agricultural fertiliser products has also been growing steadily

Many of its clients operate processes containing ammonia which require abatement at some point to ensure compliance with air pollution legislation. Removal of this ammonia usually involves scrubbing with sulphuric acid producing ammonium sulphate scrubber liquor. ECO-Option supplies sulphuric acid for scrubbing as well as removal of spent scrubber liquors for recycling, thereby offering a one-stop-shop approach with big costs savings on haulage.

Liquid ammonium sulphate

The Company is a major consumer of virgin ammonia and has become the leading UK producer of ammonium sulphate. ECO-Option is also increasingly diversifying into other nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and other resources for fertiliser production, selling these via its associated distribution company TerraNova Fertilisers into the UK agricultural market.

ECO-Option’s production processes have been assessed by the Environment Agency and it is the UK’s ONLY producer holding an End-of-Waste confirmation from the EA for its fertilisers. This provides formal confirmation that waste products used in its production processes are no longer subject to waste legislation and that its fertiliser can be sold and used as a product without restrictions. This is a crucial aspect for blue chip majors with valuable brands to protect when allowing third parties to use their waste for resource recycling.

The Company operates its own fleet of dedicated trucks & tankers for collecting waste & by-products as well as distribution of fertiliser, thereby achieving high transport efficiencies.

Bespoke non-ferro metal recovery

ECO-Option’s non-ferro metal recycling has continued to grow over the past 5 years albeit not as dramatic as the other resource recycling activities. Our team provide bespoke recycling options for difficult to handle materials providing cost effective and environmentally friendly solutions.

The Future

Our medium and longer term goal is to continue to assist our clients, further expanding and confirming our market position in the field of resource recycling for agricultural use.